


Vigilante Justice

by LadyStardust_24



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Brief mention of drugs, Irondad, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Spider-Man - Freeform, The Avengers - Freeform, The Defenders - Freeform, Vigilantism, brief mention of human trafficking, brief mention of rape, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-10 14:06:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19906936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyStardust_24/pseuds/LadyStardust_24
Summary: Tony is on a stake-out per Secretary Ross’ request when he runs into the one and only Peter Parker. Peter convinces him to look at being a vigilante in a different light.





	Vigilante Justice

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Hope you all are doing well! It’s in the tags but I wanted to reiterate the point: during a section of the dialogue various crimes are being listed and mentions of rape, drugs, and human trafficking are mentioned. It doesn’t go into detail at all, just the words being mentioned but I don’t want anyone to read this and get triggered or anything. So fair warning. I hope you all like this!

“Yeah this was a dumb ass idea.” 

Tony Stark sat staring out of a window for the fourth straight hour in the corner of a “Mr. Delmar’s Deli” in Queens. Fortunately, no one who’d come in had recognized him yet. He guessed the black hoodie and sunglasses were doing their job. 

He’s currently on a stakeout looking for the infamous ‘Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.’ Ever since the whole Accords debacle, Secretary Ross has been going nuts trying to round up all the vigilantes and “gifted” people in the country, either to have them sign the accords or to throw them in the raft if they’ve broken any rules. Daredevil definitely fell into the latter category. 

Tony generally wasn’t much interested in governmental meddling, but since a certain sixteen year old kid who flew around the city fighting crime had swung into his life, he was happy to help get that miscreant off the street. If at least for Peter’s safety. 

Speaking of...

“Hey Mister Delmar!” exclaimed a familiar overexcited voice. Tony turned slightly to see the one and only Peter Parker, dressed in his usual every day attire of ripped jeans, ratty flannel, and tattered book bag slung over his shoulder, standing at the counter. 

“Mr. Parker! How are ya today?”

“Huh,” Tony thought. That’s the most cheerful the man has sounded the whole time he’s been there. Of course, Mr. Parker has that effect on people.

“Oh y’know. Same old same old. Can’t complain.” Peter placed a bag of gummy bears on the counter. 

“Yeah I hear that. So, your usual? Number 5 right?”

“Yep! With pickles. And can you smush it down real flat please?”

“You got it boss!” 

As Delmar turned to place his order, Peter turned to the cat on the counter.

“That cannot be sanitary,” Tony thought.

“Hey Murph! Long time no see!” Peter whispered. The cat purred as Peter scratched behind its ears.

“Of course the damn cat is purring,” Tony rolled his eyes fondly.

“How’s your aunt, Parker?” Delmar asked, turning back to Peter. 

“She’s alright,” Peter was still scratching the cat. Delmar turned to the fry cook.

“¡La tía de él es una Italiana bellissima!” he said, both men laughing. Tony snorted.

“¿Cómo está tu hija?” Peter quickly retorted, smirking. Delmar’s face sobered as Tony’s jaw dropped. 

“Ten dollars,” Delmar glaringly stated, placing the hot sandwich on the counter. 

“Oh come on, it’s five dollars!” Peter said laughing.

“For that comment, it’s ten.”

“Tit for tat,” Peter said lightly before turning his puppy dog eyes at the man. “Here’s five,” he said sweetly. 

As the man continued glaring at the boy, he snatched the money and busied himself at the cash register. As the boy waited, Tony saw him suddenly stiffen and start looking around. 

“Here’s your receipt.” Peter didn’t respond. “Parker. HEY! Parker!” Peter jumped, startled. 

“Oh. Sorry sir,” he said, taking the receipt and sandwich. “I just—“ He looked around again and as his eyes landed on Tony, his face scrunched up in recognition.”

“Shit,” Tony thought. 

“Thanks Mister Delmar,” he idly waved goodbye as he walked toward Tony. 

In retrospect, Tony thought, he really shouldn’t have kept openly watching the exchange. “Now the kid’s gonna think I’m stalking him.”

“Are you stalking me?” Peter asked. Tony mentally snorted.

“Hello to you too Mr. Parker.” Peter glared.

“I know May’s condition to me being Spider-Man was for you to keep an eye out for me but literal stalking is a step too far.” 

“I’m offended,” Tony said, dramatically putting a hand on his heart. “I’m offended that you think I have so much free time on my hands that I can just follow a teenager around all day.”

Peter kept his glare steady as he crossed his arms. “If you’re not here for me then what are you doing here in Queens?” He asked suspiciously.

“Maybe I wanted a sandwich,” Tony shrugged. 

“Then where is it?”

“Where is it what?” Peter rolled his eyes.

“Your sandwich.”

Tony calculated for a moment and then sighed, shrugging again. “I’m here on a stakeout.”

The kid’s demeanor immediately shifted. “For what?! Is it a bad guy?! I haven’t heard anything new. Are you gonna fight them?! Can I help?! Can I—“

“Okay breathe underoos,” Tony said chuckling. 

Peter sucked in a breath. 

“Yeah he’s a super violent criminal. Ross wants me to bring him and a few others in,” he said nonchalantly.

“Who is it?” Peter asked excitedly.

“Ever heard of Daredevil?”

Peter immediately stilled and a confused look passed over his face. “Mister Mur— I mean— Daredevil?” His eyes widened as he realized he almost said a name. Tony squinted at him. “What does Ross want with Daredevil? He’s harmless.”

“Harmless?!” Tony nearly shouted. He closed his eyes and took a breath. “Harmless?” He asked again, quieter. “He tortures people Peter. He’s killed people.”

“I know,” Peter shrugged.

“You KNOW?” He nearly shouted again. “And you still call him harmless?! I thought killing went against your goody two shows moral code?” 

“It does. But emphasis on MY moral code. Daredevil only kills when necessary and he does deal with the worst of the worst.”

“Who is he to decide who lives and who dies?” Tony asked starting to get angry, though he’s mostly worried about who this kid has been hanging with. “Why are you defending him? How do you even know him? You don’t work with him do you?”

Peter shrugs again. “Sometimes. If there’s a threat affecting both of our boroughs. Speaking of, why are you here if you’re looking for Daredevil? He’s called the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen for a reason.”

Tony waved a hand in the air dismissively. “I got a tip from—that’s not the point! Don’t change the subject! He’s dangerous and unstable Peter.”

“He’s only dangerous if you’re bad.”

“Zip it!! No arguments allowed! Listen up. New rules: you are not to go anywhere NEAR Daredevil, Deadpool, Punisher, or any other psychopathic vigilantes ever again. Capiche?” He turned back to the window. “You don’t want to end up like that, do you?”

“Like what exactly?” Peter asked evenly. Tony glanced back at him.

“A criminal.”

Peter looked at him for a moment then asked,” Do you remember the Vulture incident when he dropped me in a lake?”

A shiver ran through Tony as he remembered getting the alert that Peter was drowning while Tony was halfway across the world. He’d deployed a bot but nearly gave himself a panic attack convincing himself he was gonna be too late. 

“I do,” he said shortly.

“Do you remember our conversation afterward when you said you’d send someone to look into the weapons, and I asked if you meant the Avengers, and you said no that’s below your pay grade?”

“Yes,” Tony said, letting out an impatient breath. “What are you getting at kid?” 

“That was when I started to know I didn’t want to be an Avenger quite yet. I still wanted to help with the things below your pay grade.”

Tony furrowed his brow. “What?” he asked confused. “What does this have to do with Daredevil?”

Peter looked down at his shoes and began to speak:

“What you do, saving Earth from aliens and world shattering events... that’s important. Obviously. But there are other kinds of world shattering events. There are other kinds of monsters besides aliens. And most of them, are just human. Regular people who chose to do awful things to others.

I choose to think there’s always hope for people to see the light and change. Because I have to. If I don’t... well. Never mind that.” Tony noticed his expression go dark for a second. 

“I met Daredevil a few months ago working on a drug trafficking ring that was way bigger than I imagined. It spanned across boroughs and beyond. These guys weren’t just into drugs I found out. Drugs, human trafficking, hit men, all sorts of stuff. Daredevil didn’t want me anywhere near the fight to take them down. He knew I was a kid who didn’t like violence. But they were hurting people in my city. I had to help.

Eventually he agreed and that’s when I met Deadpool. By the way, he’s the only one who’s a psychopath but he’s also basically a puppy. A murderous, psychopathic, puppy,” he chuckles.

“I also met The Punisher, (Tony’s eyes grow wide in horror) Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and the Iron Fist. We needed all the help we could get.

As we surveyed the warehouse they were holed up in I suggested we call the cops for backup and all of them laughed in my face. The Punisher told me, ‘you want the police to help? Go ahead, ask them. The chief is right there.’ He pointed through the window and there was the chief, counting drug money. ‘Half the police force is in that warehouse and the other half are too chicken shit to rat them out.’

I learned a lot that night. We rounded up everyone. I only webbed them but I’m pretty sure the others did a lot more to them after I left. I started to learn that there are some people who for whatever reason, can’t be saved. They’ve been too consumed by whatever darkness makes them do bad. 

We found enough drugs to kill half of Queens. We found men, women, and children chained up to be sold who had been beaten and raped to submission.” Tears were streaming down the boy’s face by this point and Tony resisted the urge to reach out and pull the boy to him to shield him from the world.

“There are terrible people out there Mister Stark. People who have been arrested and let out time and time again because of who they knew and what they looked like. And time and time again, instead of getting the bad guys, corrupt cops rangle up people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time to fill a quota. And those bad people who were let out continue to hurt. 

But there are good people. People who have been through hell and seen the worst who do their best in an unfair society. If the authorities won’t all help, someone has to. You save the world Mister Stark,” Peter finally looks up from the ground and stares directly into Tony’s eyes. 

“You save the world and then lock yourself up in your tower. And that’s fine. Someone has to protect the world, but who’s gonna protect us from ourselves? From our fellow misguided humans? Daredevil, Deadpool, The Defenders— they’re violent because they have to be. Because the bad guys won’t stop. If you arrest them and let Ross do whatever he wants, there won’t be anyone left to protect the little guys.”

Tony stared at the boy in front of him who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Suddenly he stood up and gave into that earlier urge, pulling the boy into his chest.

“Okay kid,” he said, putting his cheek on top of Peter’s head and closing his eyes. “I’ll find a way to keep Ross off your friend’s trail.”

As he pulled away Peter smiled at him. 

“Thank you Mister Stark.”

“Course,” he said with a sniff. “Now, give me half your sandwich. I’m starving.”


End file.
